Say it Again
by Zanza-Chan
Summary: Dante and Nero have a little dispute in the early hours that intensify into other things. But when Nero is mysteriously gone the next morning, is Dante to blame? Read and review please, heavy DantexNero yaoi, you have been warned. Rated for chapter 4.
1. Pizza, the answer to life's problems!

**Say it Again.**

Ahh…Pizza. It was about the only thing he had that really made any sense anymore. Dante loved this particular food. It was complex, but it never asked you to call it the next morning; hot, but just as good cold. Dante snatched a bite of the tomato sauce covered slice and licked a spot of it from his lower lip with a faint sigh. Such bliss in such a small item should not be possible, but this was the way that all days needed to start. Dante knew that he was up at all hours of the night, currently, it was almost three AM. But unlike any tavern whore, pizza was always around. Kicking his feet up on the desk of the main office of the shop, the son of Sparda bit into the slice again and looked around him for any signs of life, not that he expected to find any.

A rustling sound reached his sensitive ears, and he looked to the left to see Nero padding around the corner, looking only about half awake. The elder half demon snorted back a laugh at the expression on his face and leaned his head back against the wall back behind the desk. Nero turned his head towards the other occupant of the room and looked at him blankly for a minute or two before padding over, and taking a bite of the pizza right out of Dante's hand. There was a drawn out moment of silence, and Dante's mouth dropped with the sheer disbelief that anyone would have the sheer gall to even try. Seeming unaffected by his reaction, Nero turned, looking around for something.

Dante continued to stare at him for the longest time afterwards, and he set the pizza down on the desk in an attempt to figure out what to do about this. Nero yawned and picked up an abandoned bottle of water, taking a sip of it. It was a sip he did not get to finish, and the bottle was knocked from his hand as a large weight from behind tackled him to the scuffed hardwood floors. Nero cursed and writhed around, only to find a pair of hands twisting around his wrists, pinning them behind his back, his face pressed to the floor. "What were you thinking, asshole?!" Dante growled at him, tightening his grip, evoking a yelp from the smaller male beneath. Nero twisted again, which only served to tighten the hold again. "It's just pizza, Dante! Jesus!"

"My pizza, newbie!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me 'newbie'?!" Nero replied with a snarl. Dante snorted. "Until you show signs of not being a newbie, I will continue to call you a fucking newbie."

"Bastaaaaaaaard!"

It was an excellent thing that the shop was empty…They'd have woken up every living soul had there been anyone else. Dante shifted, now straddling Nero, his face still pressed against the hardwood floor, just a little more forcefully.

"It's not like you even need the damn pizza, you're fat enough! You're crushing me!"

Dante growled at him again and shifted his hips, slamming them down onto Nero's back to evoke as much pain as humanly possible. Victory sounded in the whimpering noise Nero made, which he swiftly covered with a low hiss.

"Oww, fat ass." He said in a lamenting tone against the slightly stained floor. Dante knelt over him again, his hot breath flushing the back of his neck. "Say it again."

"Fat. Ass."

There was an eerie silence, and Nero silently cursed himself for being thickheaded enough to run his mouth. Darwinism dictated that this was not going to end in Nero's favor…and he was dumb enough to test it.


	2. Dante is the other white meat?

"You're gonna leave a fucking bruise!" Nero howled, jerking around beneath Dante's hold, the weight of the older man's hips pressing against the curvature of his spine. It was producing a sensation that Nero didn't necessarily like, and did not necessarily hate. "Good, maybe you'll keep your newbie paws off my shit." Dante said with a grunt as Nero writhed around some more. Dante rolled his eyes and prepared to push him back down, only to be thrown off, and to his back. Obviously dazed by it, Nero scrambled over, tackling Dante and holding his shoulders down with his hands, nails digging into the bare skin. The effort took, and small pricks of black-red blood appeared on the surface of his shoulders. Inflicting pain on one another was what they just did best, particularly when it was to one another. Dante swore at him and thrashed around a little, only for Nero to discover, to his immediate pleasure, that he wasn't very effective. "You weigh more than me, you goddamn cow!" Dante barked, silver hair falling in his now slightly scruffy face. "I'm the cow? I'm not even _hairy_!" Nero countered smugly, pleased to see Dante recoil a little, followed by a sneer. "Yeah, you're right."

"What?"

"You're not nearly cow material. You're more like a chicken. A really fat chicken." Nero's eyes narrowed, and when Dante tried to lift a hand to get himself free, the younger male sank his teeth into it. Another toussle, and Dante was on top of him again, bleeding hand, shoulders and all. This time, rather than straddling, Dante simply sat down on his stomach. Nero groaned piteously, clawing at his aggressor to release him. Dante laughed at him, and folded his arms over his bare chest. "Why such a sore loser, newbie? It's not my fault you haven't grown any. Maybe you should eat more protein." Another bite, this time, to Dante's thigh. "The other white meat." Nero grumbled at him through a sly grin. Dante did not smack him, like he expected, but instead, a strange, almost thoughtful expression passed over his face, followed by a smirk that caused Nero's stomach to drop dangerously fast.

Author's Note: The chapters are short because I think it helps to keep the reader's attention a little better. If I get to a stopping point, I end the chapter, to make it more...what's the word...? Sequential? By the way...any fans of this pairing ought to go Photobucket Devil May Cry yaoi. It's good stuff, and was the beginning of my inspiration of this little spheal.


	3. There is no such thing as luck, Dante

That was a dangerous look on his face , Nero thought, feeling his heart bounce against his ribcage. Dante's lips quirked into a devious smirk, his hot breath washing over Nero's throat. The sensitive skin on that part of the younger male's body evoked a slow shudder that ran a path from his spine to the tips of his fingers. Though he did his best to staunch the reaction, there was little he could do about certain parts of his body. Nero remained absolutely still until Dante lifted his head momentarily. "You look terrified, newbie." He said with a grin on his face, scrubbing an ungloved hand over his jaw, which was slightly bristled, from being simply too lazy to shave that evening when he had the chance.

"I don't bite that hard." he continued, his grin expanding with every inch he saw Nero's eyes widen. Nero narrowed his eyes faintly and the expression on his face resembled a scowl. "I'm not afraid of you." He told the older man firmly. "Oh no?" Dante asked, climbing to his feet. Seeing an opportunity present itself, Nero threw out his foot, catching Dante in the split second of transition where he was off balance. Dante tripped, catching himself just above Nero's head, though he ended up on top of him again. "Lucky hit, newbie." The taller half breed said through his teeth, narrowing his icy eyes at Nero, who was smirking with his victory. Dante adjusted his position, trying his best to sit up, though to his surprise, Nero had twisted his legs around the lower half of his hips, immobilizing him. He was not quick enough to stop the expression of pure astonishment that crossed his face.

Nero ignored the thudding of his heart, and tilted his head up, grinning spitefully. "There's no such thing as luck." No sooner had the words left his mouth than his lips found Dante's, more than pleased at the gasp that ensued. Dante's blue eyes snapped open wide at the contact between their mouths, every cell in his brain having to simultaneously reboot. By the time it seemed Nero was ready to release him, the elder half demon had no choice but stare at the younger of the two as blankly as if Nero had just struck him. Nero's lips curved into a saucy sort of smile, satisfied in ways that he did not know existed. "What the—…" he started, though it didn't seem he could finish the statement for a lack of functioning brain tissue. Nero's smile widened unconsciously. "What the fuck was that?!" Dante demanded when he could process a normal sentence again. "I just wanted to see what you'd do about it." Nero replied without missing a beat, his aqua hued eyes trailing from Dante's disbelieving expression, to the window behind him. "Now you listen to me, --" he started again, only to stop the minute Nero scoffed, his expression going from smug to unimpressed in a matter of seconds. "Or what, old man?"

That right there stopped Dante's mental process all at once, for the second time in five minutes. "Old man?" he repeated, his eyes narrowing to glimmering blue slits. "Did I stutter, old timer?"

"You take my pizza, you kiss me, and then I get called an old man." Dante re-iterated with a growl. "That's about the way of it. And I asked you, what are you prepared to do about it?" It took about five seconds for Dante to decide that such an insult was not going to be dismissed without some kind of consequence. Faster than Nero could react, Dante's hands framed his wrists and hauled them above his head. In his position, Nero's legs instinctively released Dante's hips in time for the larger male 

to straddle his thighs and trap him against the wall. "Let me go, old man." he said icily, when he recovered. "Not a chance, asshole, you're going to pay for this." Dante replied with an equal tone, pressing his mouth to the boy's, with much more force than Nero had. Nero squirmed helplessly for a moment or two, but the moment the warmth of Dante's tongue met the soft flesh of his lower lip, the wriggling ceased. The sensation was so foreign, he realized, so unexpected. Then again, Nero was not sure he had ever been kissed beyond once or twice in highschool. It wasn't quite like this, it wasn't this rough, this domineering, this passionate. Such a kiss suited Dante…he was a passionate creature. Dante's tongue slipped easily inside of Nero's opened mouth, filling Nero's senses with the taste of tobacco and barely.

This unexpected submission to being kissed caught Dante somewhat off guard, though the softness of Nero's mouth, and the sudden presence of his fingers tangled in Dante's light hair left him dizzy. Their mouths parted when the need to breathe struck Nero. The smaller of the duo had not removed his hands, though they slipped down to frame Dante's hair to frame his face, fingers tracing his jaw until his thumb brushed Dante's lower lip. Dante's half lidded blue gaze watched him from beneath the dark veil of his eyelashes, and he lowered his head to nibble at Nero's earlobe. His somewhat sharp canines scraped against the soft flesh, erupting a thorough shudder from the now melting young man in Dante's grasp. Nero tilted his head back as Dante's mouth left his earlobe to his throat, tongue swirling in a lazy circle over the his thundering pulse. When Nero produced a strangled little noise under his breath, Dante paused and lifted his head. "Stop?" There was a long pause, and then the younger male shook his head. That seemed to be just what Dante wanted to hear, and with a smirk present on his face, he began to pick at the material of Nero's t-shirt.


	4. Into oblivion with a touch

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, this is where you stop reading if you are below the age of 17. Seriously. If you're too young to read this, and you do it anyway, I don't want to hear your complaining.

Characters still belong to Capcom.

Nero twisted until he got the material away from his body, leaving his torso exposed for Dante's critique. Dante's icy gaze combed the expanse of his bare skin, and his mouth returned to his throat. The poor boy's heart was beating so fast, Dante was sure it would burst, and for some reason, that added an extra hit of adrenaline to his already on edge nerves. As his tongue moved against the dip of Nero's throat, Nero's first sound escaped, a low groan as his neck was stroked with the length of Dante's tongue. Dante anchored himself around Nero's hips, his groin beginning to tighten with every little sigh and every feeble clench of Nero's fingers around his wrists. The fair haired teen beneath him clawed at the collar of Dante's shirt, starving for the sensation of skin against skin, a craving he was being denied by that cloth barrier. Dante easily complied, slipping out of the somewhat tight white material of his t-shirt, and tossing it messily aside for the time being.

Feeling a little less vulnerable, Nero's hands moved from Dante's wrists to splay on the hard breadth of Dante's chest, the somewhat coarse skin coming as an exotic surprise to his sense of touch. The younger being smoothed his palms down his chest, to the firm ridges of his abdomen, slowly circling his way to the belt of Dante's pants. Dante did not move the entire time, and jerked suddenly when Nero made his way to the hem of his jeans. Dante was always game for being touched, and though it was going to take more than just a little slide-over to get him going, he decided it was a good start. Nero hoisted himself to sit on Dante's lap, facing him, and he mimicked the pattern that Dante had shown previously, nipping at the rough skin of his neck, and the loud, strong heartbeat he felt beneath it. To Dante's surprise, Nero's bites were a bit more demanding, and a warm stream of blood trickled in a slow current from a bite mark just below his jaw. Nero produced a purring sort of sound that vibrated against Dante's exposed chest as his tongue lapped at the metallic liquid running down Dante's chest.

The combined sensation of pain and pleasure evoked a low growl from Dante, one of approval as Nero mapped out his chest with his tongue, feeling the budding goosebumps rise all over his torso. Nero's exploring tongue found the stiffened rises on his chest and went lower, able to feel the heat in the core of Dante's body erupt. He slid his way down the taller man's body until he was crouched at the belt of his pants, his hands working nimbly to free the tight denim from the stiff treasure just below. Dante's eyes widened just slightly as his jeans were tugged to his knees, and the stiff cotton of his boxers with it. The stiff poise of his erection almost amused Nero, who's hot breath fanned over Dante's groin, sending shocks of a sensation between pain and mind numbling pleasure down Dante's spine. With the warm cavern of his mouth that close, Dante wanted nothing more than to hold him down and make him take it, all of it, just for spite. Patience, he reminded himself idly as Nero seemed to study him. He was doing it on purpose, the bastard…Irked by the deliberate nature of Nero's actions, Dante ground his teeth and bucked his hips gently forward. _'Come on, newbie…' _his mind hissed. To his absolute frustration, Nero lifted his head a moment later, and smirked up at the elder 

demon half blood. That expression seemed to say 'keep dreaming', and it was making the already nerve shot Dante want to pummel him senseless. Dante kicked off the remainders of his constricting pants, and with an animalistic growling noise pounced on his younger counterpart, throwing him roughly to the hardwood floor with a thud. Nero growled at the sudden thrust, but had no time to be annoyed, as Dante was already tearing at the hem of his pants. That animalistic hunger seemed to drive a spike of intitiative into Nero's mind, and he complied, ridding himself of the bothersome material.

"Don't fuck with me, Nero." Dante said in a gutteral tone, his mouth close to Nero's ear. Nero looked up at him, clearly amused with his choice of wording, and was still for a moment before his hand moved along the floor, finding the warm flesh of Dante's now bare leg. He had contemplated taking that statement literally and just leaving, but that would have earned him a punishment he'd be sore for later. He suspected he was going to get it for that stunt just prior. His fingers flicked slowly up his thigh, inwards towards his hip, and then down to the tip of his throbbing member. Dante jerked at that part of his body being touched, and he growled again, pushing himself further against Nero until the young man's entire hand enveloped it.

Nero's icy eyes narrowed slightly as the new sensation of his hand against the stiff organ registered with his brain. Finding that he didn't mind it, and Dante was soaking it up like a nymphomaniac sponge, Nero's fingers massaged the warm length, moving slowly along it until an impatient Dante growled for something a little more stimulating. The younger male took to a harder, faster pace with his touches, which seemed to be working. Dante shuddered once, and bucked at the touch, a sound like a groan and a growl emulating from the depths of his chest. Nero made a face at the hot wet climax that followed, a face that, had Dante been thinking straight, probably would have laughed at. Dante's forehead met Nero's shoulder when that portion of the contact was complete, and when he was breathing normally again, he hauled Nero into his lap, the smaller man's back pressed to Dante's chest. Nero's entire body contracted heat like some form of explosion, and his already sensitive body erupted in an eternal fire as Dante entered him.

In the midst of it all, Dante's larger hand found Nero's groin, and traced lazy, torturous circles along the outside of it until Nero cried out from the combination of sensations. Dante's fingers twined around the boy's member, and immediately picked up a taxing pace. Nero moaned as Dante's hips picked up a similarly quick rhythm, entering him and then withdrawing at a speed that caused that mix of pleasure and pain to re-appear. Nero whimpered with every entrance, the heat in his body becoming unbearable. Dante did not abate his pace until Nero clawed at his arm, and he took this as a sign that perhaps maybe it was too hard. When he slowed, Nero's soft sounds of approval resumed, and the two of them both enjoyed the ride. To Dante's mixture of amusement and surprise, those quiet little noises of Nero's escalated into a violent, earth shaking climax, one that dwarfed Dante's in comparison.

Upon the conclusion of this peak, and Dante's final retreat, Nero went limp in Dante's arms, his head falling against the taller male's shoulder, and the only movement was the heaving of his chest as his breathing struggled to return to normal. Dante's blue eyes nearly glowed in the coming dawn in the window, lowering to comb over Nero's form, lying submissively in his hold. The boy was normally so spirited and hard headed, not unlike Dante himself, and this rare moment of what seemed like complete 

trust was a one in a million. Dante lowered his gaze to Nero's face, half buried in the crook of his counterpart's neck. His breathing had returned to its rhythm, if not a bit slower. This change alerted Dante to Nero's complete exhaustion after their union, and he half grinned at how easily the young male tired.

Author's Note: I continued this due to popular request, I suppose…There's actually a plot to this, I promise. While I do enjoy writing the smut, there is going to be a little angst here in a bit, if I can get it to work out in my mind, anyway. xD Anywho, until the next chapter! Thanks for your reviews, ladies, and a few gentlemen. (I can only assume most of my approval is female, anyway. Hehe…)


	5. When the whole town knows

"Hey."

There was no response from the out cold male half blood curled up among the sheets.

"HEY." There was still no response, at least not a verbal one. Dante ducked his head under a pillow and chose not re acknowledge the woman standing at his bed side. Trish looked thoughtful and picked one of the hundred pillows on Dante's bed, holding it above her head and then smacking him in the ass with all of the force she possessed. That was enough to jar Dante into the land of the living with a deep throated growl. "What." He grumbled from beneath the pillow. A clearly amused smile crossed Trish's face. "It's almost noon, you big lug, I think you need to get up."

"Fuck you, Trish, I had a hard night."

"I know, I slipped in it coming in here." Dante's head snapped up from beneath the pillow and he had to laugh. He was sorry he'd missed that one. "So who's the lucky gal?" Trish continued, a pondering look crossing her face. "Lady is out of town, and it obviously wasn't me…must have been some girl you picked up last night." Dante laughed harder, falling onto his back on the bed. The irony of this was almost too perfect, almost too…staged. He stopped his hysterics and looked at Trish, whose smug expression told him she'd set him up. "He has a girlfriend." She told him, and Dante scowled. "Yeah, I know." Trish put her hands on her hips and leered down at him, seeming to be criticizing him. Dante sat up, blowing a few strands of pale hair out of his face. "So why are you playing with him? He's just a kid, Dante."

Her nagging was starting to prickle his nerves, and Dante, who had slipped into a pair of cotton pants before bed, slid out from beneath the blanket and sat cross legged on the bed, his arms folded over his chest. His refusal to answer her had Trish's eyebrows at her hairline. "Dante, you're stepping on dangerous grounds." The half blood sneered and got up, throwing a dismissive wave of his hand in her direction. "You seen the pipsqueak?" he asked at the bathroom door. Trish paused. "No…I looked for him when I came in. He's not here." Dante shrugged nonchalantly and disappeared into the bathroom for a shower.

Trish took her leave while he was gone, deciding she could do better things than be involved in this soon to be emotional mess she sensed brewing. Dante had never been known to be emotionally stable, and getting in between a boy and his girlfriend was really not something that had a record of ending well. Dante came out of the bathroom half an hour later, a towel draped around his waist as he scrubbed his hair with another one. Where'd that kid run off to, anyway, he wondered? Dante's silvery blue eyes turned to the window, and winced at the sunlight. Dammit...He couldn't stand daylight. There was no biological reason for it, he just preferred the darkness, the anonymity of it, what could happen in it. The memory of the night before crossed his mind in a misty kind of way, and his eyes glimmered oddly. Had he been thinking properly? No… Would he have done it again? There was a pause after that thought, and Dante stilled. He didn't know the answer to that, at least not right off the bat. Nor could he explain the weird tightness in his gut at Nero's disappearance.

Fuck, he thought, sliding into a pair of leather-esque pants and a tight black t-shirt before hopping into his boots and going to see what he could get into for the remainder of the day.

"You fucked a GUY!?" Dante narrowed his eyes at Emilio's wide eyed appearance, his fat jowls on the floor of the tavern. The demon slayer rolled his eyes at the sound of his agent's astonishment, and took a drink of the beer he'd ordered. It was early in the evening to be drinking, but he was bored. "How does everyone know this?" Dante wanted to know after a minute. "Oh…Well, apparently Kyrie went to come find Nero last night, and saw you two in the window. She's been hysterical about it all day. Someone told me she left Nero, and Nero high tailed it this morning after she dumped him." Dante's face paled a shade or two and he stilled. "What do you mean he left town?!" Dante demanded after a moment, jumping to his feet and hoisting Emilio eye level by the collar of his shirt. Emilio squirmed, making choking sounds at the lack of oxygen. "That's just what I heard, D-Dante! You're hurting me!" Dante dropped his agent in the next instant and stormed out of the tavern, intent on finding that kid before he went and did something stupid. Heartbreak could really destroy a guy, especially one as quick tempered as Nero was.

Ahaaa…Yeah. Well. Anyway…That's chapter five for you…it's not the best, but it's the best place to pause for chapter six, I figure. Thanks for your reviews, there will be more shortly. xD


	6. Alone in the darkness

It had been two weeks now since the kid vanished; and Dante glared out his window at the snow beginning to fall. It had gotten cold rapidly this year, and before he knew it, he was faced with snow. Dante hated snow. He hated snow…It was cold, foreboding, wet. It represented everything he felt right now, unfortunately, and that, above all, pissed him off the most. Passing through the shop, Dante presented a swift kick to a box, sending it spinning off into the darkness of a nearby corner. The son of Sparda crossed his arms over his chest and stood there in the middle of the floor for a moment. The shop was silent, and for the first time in months , that really bothered him.

There was usually some kind of commotion, Trish bitching, Lady complaining about how messy his room was…or Nero, telling him to get a real job and stop this charade. The last part of that thought brought about an unconscious wince. Nero. Why the hell did it matter, anyway? Dante, frustrated with his own thought process hissed under his breath and dropped into a chair.

More loathsome silence resumed, and he was almost relieved to hear a rustling sound in the corner of the room. Upon getting up to investigate, he halted immediately at a familiar voice. "Why so down, eh, old man?"

Dante's eyes narrowed.

"Nero?"

There was a flicker of light in the corner, and when Dante whirled around, he was presented with Nero's form, or…what looked like it anyway. It had the same cocky smirk on its face, the same stance. The half demon felt his heart skip a beat, and he studied it.

"That you, kid?"

"You're so careless." The form told him, setting a hand on its hip. There was a flicker in the image, and it alerted Dante to the presence of a hologram.

"Careless? Now just wait a damn minute—"

"Too bad you weren't paying attention, old man."

"Alright, you goddamn hologram, cut the shit."

It did not seem to be listening, and only laughed, though the laugh wasn't Nero's, it was cold, empty. Dante's gaze narrowed and he stepped back. He knew that laugh, and it jarred his memory in a way that was completely unpleasant. "If you'd been paying attention, I might still be alive." The Nero hologram said in a sing song voice, mocking him. Dante's spine stiffened, and he growled. "What do you mean still alive!? Where the fuck is Nero?!"

The hologram flickered and disappeared, leaving a moment of darkness and silence. Dante tensed and looked to the side as an eye appeared against the back wall. The eye was large, red, almost glowing in the dim light, and the hollow, booming voice returned.

"You were careless, son of Sparda." It said. The voice jarred Dante's memory again, and he growled, a very male sound low in his chest. "Mundus…"

"I knew I would not be forgotten. And it seems to me you're just as weak minded as ever."

"Where the fuck is Nero?!" Dante demanded sharply, padding up to the eye, not seeming to fear the presence of Mundus at all.

"If you had been watching the signs, son of Sparda…you would know where he is…" Enraged, Dante's hand found Ebony, lying on the table, and fired it repeatedly at the wall, only for the eye to disappear, and leave him in the dark again. If he'd been watching the signs? Just what did that mean? Dante's eyes lowered and he dropped the gun to the floor with a clatter that eventually faded into more silence. _'Nero.' _He lifted his head, his expression blank, despite a drop of hot saline that dripped to the floor, concealed by the darkness.

The half blood knelt and gathered Ebony from the hardwood floor, turning to get his sword, and Ivory, stuffing both guns into the coats of his red coat and throwing it on before he turned and disappeared from the shop, slamming the door behind him.

(And the plot thickens. I told you it'd get better. xD We'll see some of Dante's angsty side here in the coming chapters, so keep reading and keep the reviews coming! Thank you again, to all my readers, you guys are the reason I keep writing this thing. 3


	7. Inner workings and new ideas

Fuck snow, fuck winter, fuck Mundus, fuck everything, Dante thought, hugging his coat tighter around his body as he moved through the snowy city, looking for a way to get out. It was cold enough that Dante had chosen to wear a shirt beneath that coat, and that happened rarely enough to surprise even him. The hated white powder was falling quicker, heavier now, and that only served to darken Dante's mood another level or two, putting it in the negatives, much like the temperature outside.

A cold wind snapped past, blowing Dante's equally wintery hair out of his face, revealing the sneer he was wearing. Oh and one more thing, he thought bitterly. Fuck Nero. Really. His blue eyes narrowed slightly at the thought as it flickered across his mind, and the son of Sparda made a quiet noise of protest at himself. That was a lie, and he knew it the minute it passed through his conscious. The instant he found that kid, his first instinct was to beat him senseless, but upon closer inspection, he realized that wasn't the case at all.

No…the second he found Nero he was going to attach himself to that boy, and never let him go, hammer him around until that brat swore to whatever god was listening that he'd never leave again, never let himself get taken, never let Dante feel the deplorable way he was feeling right now. Helpless…that's what it was, Dante decided. God, it was a horrible state to be in. Oh, one more fuck, he thought; emotions in general. The demon half blood crossed his arms defensively over his chest and narrowed his gaze slightly.

Just off in the frosty distance, he thought he was detecting a hooded figure. Sure enough, by the time it approached and pulled off its hood, Dante had never been more horrified to lay eyes on a human being before in his life. And of course…that was his luck. "Dante?" echoed a female voice, a bit of brown hair falling into her face. "Kyrie." Dante replied bluntly, shifting his weight onto his back foot. Kyrie's expression went to one of bafflement. "You look…angry, Dante." The young woman replied evenly, tilting her head to the side. The male standing across from her paused and narrowed one fluorescent blue eye and stiffened visibly, but did not answer her for the longest time.

"Have you seen Nero?" he asked, more like insisted, a moment later. Kyrie looked surprised, her light eyes combing over Dante in a way that suggested she thought he'd lost his mind. "Dante, I haven't spoken to Nero in six months." His gaze snapped wide. "What do you mean you haven't seen him?!" Dante immediately demanded, stepping forwards with a speed that made poor Kyrie jump. "Nero and I broke up months ago, Dante…" The half blood looked startled, and he stared at her blankly. "Emilio told me that-…So you're saying you never saw me and Nero—" Kyrie shrieked. "Oh god no! Eww!" Half of Dante's mind laughed, the other half grimaced. There was nothing 'eww' about it…he had quite enjoyed himself.

This meant a number of things, Dante reasoned. First, it meant that Kyrie never had anything to do with Nero's leaving, that Mundus was to blame without reasonable doubt. Two, it meant that Nero had been lying to him these last few weeks, the bastard, and three, he had just confessed to having a homosexual affair with a kid almost half his age. Oh. Great. He pivoted on his heel, headed back to the tavern, where he was sure he could find some help. Kyrie, looking astonished, followed closely behind 

him. Something was quite obviously wrong, and though he seemed to be sorting through this in his own head, she decided that if she followed, she might find out what it was.

Bursting through the doors of the tavern with as little tact as possible, Dante was both pleased, and disgusted to see two particular females sitting at a table in the corner. They both looked up immediately at the sound. Lady grumbled something at Trish, and the blonde woman scoffed as Dante approached the two of them. "On your feet." He informed them, only for them to look at him blandly. "What the hell for?" Lady demanded.

"Because you have to." Dante snapped, sounding more and more anxious as the short winded conversation went on. The two women glanced at Kyrie, who poked her head out from behind Dante's shoulder. Trish studied the white haired man acutely for a long moment. "Nero?" Dante went rigid, and Lady snorted. "That'd be it." The raven haired woman commented sardonically.

"Mundus." Dante said coldly, speaking in short sentence, out of lack of patience for the situation, and for the people involved in it. Trish made a surprised sort of noise, and Lady's dark eyes narrowed sharply. "Mundus?" she repeated, deeply disliking the sound of that name. Dante nodded curtly once and then looked to the side.

"Alright, then. Move out." Trish said through a long sigh, rising to her feet. Lady's gaze trailed upward slowly. "Why? Here again?"

"We're going to go find Dante's ass puppet."

As she got up to leave, Ebony nailed her in the back of the head.

On to the next chapter! Hey! If I gave you too much, you'd quit reading. –grin- The next one will be up tonight, I promise. 3 We find out just what Mundus has done with Nero.


	8. Revealed intentions

"I don't see signs of anything." Trish said as she climbed to her feet, dusting her hands off on her pants. Dante scowled. "You're not looking hard enough." He said coldly, looking to the left, and then to the right. Trish's only dignified response was to scoff in his direction. "Then you come up with a logical explanation for how this kid literally vanished into thin air. And if Mundus has him, like you say that he does, how exactly do we find him?"

"He's four stories high. He's pretty fuckin' hard to miss." Dante snapped in response. The retort caused a brief flare of temper from Trish, who choked on a hard reply, and was separated from Dante by Lady, manually. "Alright, ladies, break it up." The darker haired woman said coolly. "Every minute you spend fighting among yourselves is one less minute that Nero is going to stay alive, if he's alive at all."

That had Dante's attention, and he pivoted away from Trish immediately, heading down the street in search of more signs. A cracking sound from behind him instinctively turned Dante's attention, Ebony in his grasp. One quick shot was fired, and the sound of a screech followed the spilling of dark blood into the alley. Dante snarled and kicked the corpse, the corpse of Kyrie staring lifelessly up at him. The real Kyrie, who had been tailing the group, hoping she could help in some way, stared at it.

Dante grumbled something obscene, kicking it hard again, only for the corpse to fizzle into that of a dark gray demon creature, lying dead on the pavement. "Shape shifter." Trish said under her breath, setting a hand on the curve of her hip. "That would explain the Kyrie alibi for his disappearance. Everyone in town could verify that they saw Kyrie in hysterics, because that's what they thought they saw. No one went looking for him because of it." Dante made another sound, and grabbed his sword, jabbing it into the demon's chest just for spite.

Mundus was around here somewhere…or something of his was…and where they found Mundus, they'd find Nero. At least that was the assumption. The demon slayer turned his head and placed a hand against the cold brick of the building framing the alley way. There had to be some way to track that kid… Trish watched her former partner carefully, and chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. Demons had certain abilities, she knew, they had certain things they could do, certain senses that were more powerful than those of humans. Even if Dante was a half blood, there was a chance, he still had some of this power.

A half an hour later, Dante was being forcibly dragged into the shop, and Trish disappeared into the back of the building, returning a moment later with a black garment that looked like a t-shirt. Dante's icy gaze narrowed distinctly. "And what am I supposed to do with _that_?" Trish stuffed the garment in his face. The half blood demon recoiled. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Sniff it."

"What?!" He said sardonically, staring at her like she'd lost her mind. "It's Nero's, which means it's got his scent on it. Can you follow scent?" Dante was silent for a minute or two, and then crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know, Dante? That's a demon asset. Can you follow a scent or not?" The demon slayer snatched the shirt from her. He could honestly say he had no idea whether or not that would work, but to find Nero, it was worth a try. Sure enough, Nero's scent was potently ground into the fabric of the shirt, the essence of both his natural scent and of his spicy-sweet cologne flooded Dante's senses. He dropped the garment and headed out the door again. Oh yeah…he could follow it.

--

The musty smell of a cavern assaulted his olfactory senses, the damp, cool air stirring Nero into a state of hazy consciousness. His fluorescent blue eyes opened slowly, his vision blurred, and his head throbbing. The young male made to move, only to find that he was bound somehow, by the arms, it felt like. He could still wiggle his feet, thought not too far, so he suspected that he was tied around the ankles. Nero's arms were bound above his head in what felt like leather straps, but when he made to weaken or break them, they didn't budge. What were those things made of, anyway? Nero made a strangled noise and twisted around, finding that he was surrounded by a glass like substance keeping him in a fish tank like tube. The air he'd felt was coming from the top of the tube, which was open, revealing that they were in a ruin of some sort, covered in moss and lichens.

Where was he, he wondered? The last thing he remembered was waking up in the spare room in the back of Dante's shop, and then a shock going up his spine. His demon arm ached, he realized, and he could feel the faint blue glow it was putting off. Upon looking up, Nero's eyes widened at the presence of another, standing at the front of the glass encasement. It looked to be male, and hooded, though when the hood was removed, a third eye glowed blue from the center of his forehead. Nero twisted around in the binds, kicking his now bare foot into the encasement, only to meet pain and a futile thudding noise. The figure laughed. "Such a spirited young man. I suppose I can see the bastard son's attraction." Nero's eyes narrowed. "Dante—"

"Ah…Dante…also a determined creature. Just like his father, who seemed to think he locked me away all those years ago. He was a fool. As is his son." Nero let out a soft growl, twisting again, realizing that it was useless, but continuing to do so out of panic. "That arm of yours will be of good use, I suppose." Mundus' human element drawled, placing a hand against the glass, which fazed through to graze the demon limb on the boy's body. Nero jerked in response. "So much energy in that arm, I could create much with that power." The young male said nothing, and only leered at him from his glass prison.

"Now…when your little bedroom toy returns to collect you, he can join you in helping me open that door…"

"The demon world." Nero whispered, his eyes narrowing to glittering slivers against the pale strands of hair falling into his forehead, damp with the exertion and the humidity of the ruin.

"Ahh…" the humanoid Mundus said, stepping to the left, slowly, as Nero watched him warily. "So you know of it. Then opening it in front of you, using that arm, and your lover, will be that much sweeter."

Author's Note: Aaaha…Yes. Well, it'll be continued shortly. Thanks for all your reviews, guys!


	9. Explanation and Discovery

Nero's entire body went rigid, Mundus' words still ringing in his head. What was he going to do once he opened that gate? Nothing good, the young man decided darkly, turning his head to his right, seeing Mundus still leering at him, a malicious look on his face. "Do you think he'll come for you?" the human form of the elite demon sneered, looking as though he had been listening to Nero's innermost thoughts from the very beginning. Mundus leaned over the railing in front of the glass encasing Nero, the thin lips of the thin skinned human form twitching into a cruel smile. Nero opened his mouth to respond, more than prepared to. He stopped before words could come out, his silvery blue eyes falling to the floor of the glass encasement. As badly as he wanted to insist, to know that Dante would come searching for him, he could not. He didn't know, not for sure.

Mundus chuckled, a cold, eerie sound that sent shivers down Nero's spine. He was enjoying it, thriving on it. Nero twisted in his shackles again, desperately trying to free himself, to escape the demon's presence. He was still hoping this was just some trippy dream, and that he'd wake up in Dante's bed, to the sound of that impossible man mocking him, asking him why he wasn't up yet. The thought caused a dull ache to settle in his chest. He couldn't quite figure out why Dante, or lack of him, gave him such an empty feeling. It had been one night…just one night…Nero winced and produced a sound like a frustrated growl, it was still no use. Mundus' smile/smirk hybrid widened, and he turned, to what looked like a lab table standing beside the glass encasement. Had that been there before, Nero wondered?

"If he does not come…I always have a backup plan." Nero's attention was back on Mundus. " I would prefer to stain the entrance to the demon realm with Dante's blood…" He paused, lifting a scalpel to the dim source of light, coming from above the encasement. "He's been a thorn in my side from the very beginning." He sneered at the idea. "But…if need be, your own blood will be a fine substitute." Nero's eyes widened, but Mundus didn't seem to see. "I would prefer Dante, and then use your arm as the catalyst." the demon said wistfully, with an airy shrug of his thin shoulders. "Catalyst?" Nero repeated carefully.

"Yes of course. Dante's blood is more potent than yours, so the reaction needed to open the door to the demon realm will be faster than if I use yours." He shrugged again. "It may take just a little longer, but I will see the opening of the door by dawn." Nero looked at his demon arm, which was throbbing uselessly above him, tethered together with the human arm. He could only ask what on earth Mundus planned to use THAT for, but part of him was afraid of the answer.

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"Here."

"Here?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?" Dante contested hotly, agitation coating his voice. Trish and Lady exchanged a glance, looking at the mountain they had come against upon leaving the city, and trekking for a few hours to the outskirts of the forest. "Dante…where?" Lady wanted to know, her gaze scaling the mountainside. Dante did not look at her, his icy stare unwavering on the mountain. "I don't know exactly where. But he's here." He said. Trish eyed him skeptically, but said nothing to deter him. "Alright, lead away, Dante." Dante straightened to his full height and made his way towards the base, his senses still on fire. It didn't matter that he hadn't slept in three days; or that if it weren't for the cascade of caffeine and pure adrenaline that he would have collapsed hours ago. What mattered now was that Nero's scent was getting stronger, denser…which meant he was closer. Dante paced his way halfway up the mountain, carefully picking over every step, until he identified a rush of energy. He halted on a dime, causing Trish to run right into his back, and Lady into hers. The two women fell to their rears in the dirt, cursing at Dante, who did not even seem to hear them.

His blue gaze was focused on the ground; the energy was coursing from below. Suddenly, the lack of food and sleep was momentarily erased, and a burst of renewed energy appeared at his success. Dante fished around beneath a bush with the toe of his boot, finally feeling the soil give way. With a sharp flurry of motion, he withdrew his sword, and thrust the hilt of it deep into the earth, where it promptly crumbled, revealing a drop chute. Insomnia left room for brash behavior, and without a moment's deliberation, he dropped effortlessly down the hole. Trish and Lady, having only seen him literally disappear, rushed to the hole, highly alarmed, but saw no trace of the demon male.

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With an airy flip, Dante landed effortlessly on his feet, ankle deep in water. The splash hit his currently bare hand, and he looked around, letting his eyes adjust to the dark lighting. When he could maneuver safely around the water filled cavern, he took a cautious step forward. Finding it stable, he continued down the dark corridor, his hand pressed to the slick rock wall of the cavern for balance and guidance. Before too long, a stream of light became visible, though it was dim, it was still considerably brighter than the cave's watery foyer. Instincts lead him to the entrance, or what looked like an entrance, where the light was coming in.

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The familiar presence snapped Nero's hazy conscious to reality. He lifted his head, hazy silvery gaze flicking in the dim light coming from above. Mundus was nowhere to be seen, half to his relief, half to his horror. If he couldn't see him, that meant he did not know where he was…or what he might be doing. Terror struck Nero's gut, before the presence that awoke him drew his eyes to the entrance Mundus had come in the first time. "Dante—" He could only breathe the name, knowing that Dante probably had not heard him. To his surprise, the moment the name left his lips; the white haired demon male looked up, his blue eyes zeroing in on the glass case. "Dante…" he repeated. Dante took a step forward, almost looking as though he were afraid to advance, afraid it was an illusion. "Dante!" his voice escalated to a cry that time, and Nero lifted his head fully, his silvery eyes trying to somehow beg Dante to come closer, to help him, to get him free…something…anything!

His name over and over...was he hearing correctly? Dante took another step forward, waiting for Nero, or what looked like Nero, to disappear. He'd been fooled once, that damned hologram in the shop, and he couldn't stomach another instance of that kind. Nero cried out again, desperation staining his tone. That desperation stung Dante, somewhere in his innermost workings, and he quickened his pace, one step turned to another, and the walk turned to a run as he sprinted across the slime covered cavern floor, to the glass case that cased Nero on the other side of the open cavern.

"I--…"

Nero stopped twisting long enough to take into account that Dante was here. The man stood there, his left hand pressed to the cold glass. "Where is he?" Dante demanded once he was sure this was no illusion. Nero's blue eyes fell to the floor. "I don't…I don't know…He knocked me out, and I lost track of him."

"What's he planning?!" The questions seemed to get more and more distressed. Nero flinched, and tried his best to organize his thoughts so that they made some kind of sense, so he could explain. "He wants to--…"

"What?!"

"The demon world…" Nero struggled to take a full breath. "The portal. He wants to open it!"

"How?" Dante demanded, his eyes darkening to a threatening shade of navy. "With my blood…or your blood. Whichever he gets his hands on first." Nero explained, or did his best to. Dante's hand instinctively found the stock of Ebony at his hip. "And my arm…" Nero choked, his nerves beginning to get the best of him. Dante opened his mouth to retort, but was silenced by the sound of feet touching the floor of the cave. Nero made another choking noise and fell silent, as Dante produced the most lethal sounding growl Nero had ever heard.

"It's good to see you again, Dante." came the purring voice of Mundus' human persona. "I was almost afraid I'd have to bleed the boy dry and wait. That wouldn't be half as amusing." He lifted his chin, the pitiless smile returning to his pallid face. "Would it?"

Author's Note: Eheh…Sorry for the delay…


	10. There was no need to fear

Mundus did not pay any heed to the approaching Dante, in fact, walked right past him. He padded his way up to Nero's glass prison. To Dante's horror and frustration, he put his hand right through the glass, a small knife in hand. Before Nero could react, an incision on his arm, along the vein was made. Blood began to drip into the floor of the glass collection, funneling into a container. The portal, a glowing, gaping opening in the limestone, widened, inch by inch, as each drop of blood fell down Nero's shoulder, and touched his demon arm. The blood turned a strange color of blue as it dripped from his demon arm, and into the container fueling the opening of the portal. He was energizing Nero's blood, and unless something was done, his purpose would be accomplished. The alarm showed on Dante's face before he could conceal it.

"Dante, we will make this a game of choice." Mundus purred, looking up at his opponent with a coy smile. "Option one…you give up your own blood, and ensure that the boy lives." Dante narrowed his eyes. "Or…option number two. You may see if you can put a stop to this scheme of mine, though it is already in motion." He turned and watched blood drip into his container. "But." Dante stiffened. "The longer you take…the lower his chances to live become." Without a pause, Dante had fired Ebony, and was on his way to drawing Ivory.

Mundus' human form avoided the attack with a smooth ducking motion, and his human form all but dissolved beneath the bullets. His typical, angelic form replaced it, and the three eyed demon cast down a devious smile. "What a hot head you have." He said, his now large voice booming from the corners of the room. "I should have known that would be the option you would take. Selfish…don't you think?" Dante, infuriated, tossed the pistols to the slimy floor, his sword taking their place. It wasn't selfish, he thought. Not when he wanted to be alive WITH Nero, not instead of Nero. He wanted to be here to see the kid in his bed, arguing with him over absolutely nothing, trying to steal his pizza, or even hogging the bathroom…he wanted to be there.

The cold steel immediately clashed with Mundus' arm, who was almost surprised to learn that Dante had used the ledges along the wall to reach that height. He slung the demon back easily, who landed with a thud, on one knee. Dante must have broken it, but there seemed to be no sign of any pain as he was on his feet again moments later, more attacks landing on Mundus time after time. While he did not seem to be taking any critical damage, Mundus did appear to be growing annoyed.

"Your time is growing slim." Mundus curtly reminded Dante, whose eyes fell on Nero. His complexion was getting paler as more of his lifeblood dripped into the collection drain. The sense of urgency in Dante's movements quickened his pace, and only furthered Mundus' irritation. Nero made a small sound as he felt himself get dizzy, and Dante parried upwards for another attack. By this point, Mundus was annoyed. His third eye began to glow, and he began to gather energy in the core of his body. Dante landed unsteadily on his feet, and looked up in time to see all the pent up energy form a blast. The blast rocketed from Mundus' stiff frame, and hurled itself towards Dante's now crouched form. Nero, barely watching, heard a yell, and the sound of crumbling stone hitting the floor in a deafening roar, before his consciousness faded completely, and he went limp against the chains.

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With a thud, Dante landed on his back, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. With a crash, his sword landed, blade first, in the limestone floor of the cavern. It pierced the rock, a large hole in its center, very nearly splintering it. The chain holding Dante's medallion also broke, sending it with a clatter next to him. The place was silent, deathly silent. Dante, ignoring the intense stab of pain down his back and right leg, was on his feet instantly, not checking to see where Mundus was, or what had happened. His aim was the unconscious Nero, fuck Mundus, he could wait; but Nero…his time was running out.

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"What…?" Nero heard his own cracked voice say, before his eyes fully opened. There was motion, he detected, a bouncing sort of feeling…His blue eyes slid open slowly, and he looked around. What Nero immediately realized was that he was being carried. He was pressed against a hardened chest, wet with something that smelled like blood. Alarmed at the scent, he made a strangled noise and tried to sit up in the hold he was in, but was forced back down. "Stay still, kid, you've really fucked yourself up this time." The husky voice sent Nero's heart bouncing against his ribs.

"No thanks to you." He growled, though it sounded half hearted, even to him. Dante snorted, but the response beyond that was limited. He did realize, after a moment, that they were back in town, headed towards the shop. Dante edged the door open with his boot clad foot, entering the abandoned shop and setting Nero on the desk, so he could see to what had been damaged. Upon inspection, the worst of Nero's injuries were some cuts and bruises, his biggest problem being blood loss. Nero's blue eyes flicked over Dante, and widened considerably. "Dante, maybe you outta—"

"Outta what?" Dante asked, kneeling over Nero, at dangerously close vicinity. Nero sucked in a breath, realizing that their noses were almost touching. "See a…doctor?" Dante seemed to ignore the statement completely, ad he covered Nero's mouth with his own. The kiss was sweltering, and it made Nero's head swim. It seemed more desperate this time, more needing. After a moment, motion ceased, and Dante halted, falling against Nero's collarbone and lying still.

"TRISH!"

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"It's nothing to worry about, son. Exhaustion, and a concussion." The doctor told Nero, who stood between Trish and Lady in the waiting room of the local hospital. "He was scraped and scuffed, but nothing all that serious. He'll sleep it off and be alright." Nero looked up at Trish, who nodded and nudged him forward. "Where are you going?" Nero wanted to know. Lady chuckled. "Relax, we're just going to the tavern. We need a hard drink after all this." He seemed to find this acceptable, and said his goodbyes, making his way to the room Dante was in. He was still out cold, attached to a pillow like it was some kind of giant stuffed animal. Nero almost laughed. 'How pathetic', he thought, an impish smile making its way to his face. If he knew he slept like this, Nero would have made it a point to watch more often, it was blackmail. He took his phone out of his pocket and got a quick picture for future use, for the next time Dante pissed him off. Nero scaled him carefully, taking note of a bruise on his cheek.

Nero did not remember exactly how he'd gotten out of there, or where Mundus currently was, but he did know that Dante had come…and somehow…he'd known that he would. The doubt was Mundus' doing, he realized. Before the bastard started talking, he'd had no fears of abandonment. "I'm sorry." He murmured aloud, under his breath. Dante opened one glittering blue eye, casting it up to Nero. "For what?" Startled, Nero jumped back. "How long have you been awake, you bastard?!" he demanded. Dante smirked against the pillow. "A few minutes. You move around really loudly, did you know that?" Nero scowled. "You're an ass."

"Yes, yes I am." Dante sat up with a grunt, feeling the stiff, sore muscles give way to his will to move. A thought struck Nero, and a huge, mocking smile crossed his face. "What the fuck are you grinning at, newbie?" Dante demanded, rotating his neck. Nero looked smugly in his direction, and inclined his chin at the elder male. "You missed me, didn't you?" Dante bristled. "Miss you? Your whining, the way you keep showing up out of nowhere, all your flailing around?" He paused, seeing Nero's smugness begin to falter, and give way to what might have been disappointment. Dante's own grin appeared, and he scrubbed a hand over his bristled jaw. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." Nero's look of innocent surprise made the whole thing worth it. Dante sat up a little farther, and pulled the younger male onto the bed, into his lap. The pale haired boy made a startled little noise when he was hauled against the wall of Dante's chest. "Rest assured, dumb ass, it will always upset me when you get yourself into stupid situations." The larger man told Nero as he placed his hand around the cusp of Nero's jaw, inclining his lips to touch his own. When he was released from the heated contact, Nero sucked in a slow breath. His elated smile turned mocking in a split second. "Dante, do you looove me?" he teased, though internally…he really hoped for a serious answer.

Dante's eyes narrowed, and he pressed their mouths together, using both hands, on either side of his younger counterpart's jaw. The kiss numbed Nero's brain, leaving him breathless by the time Dante's warm tongue grazed his lower lip, asking for entrance. Nero granted it, and he felt Dante's calloused hand at the belt of his jeans just in time for the door to open. A young nurse gaped at the scene, and her clipboard fell from her hands. With a startled squeak, she spun on her heel and disappeared more quickly than was expected. Dante grunted. "Oops."

"Are you going to answer me?" Nero asked a moment later. "Don't push your luck, newbie." Dante told him slyly, leaning back against the pillows. "You'll just have to settle for mildly concerned, won't you?" the demon son said with a crimped grin. Nero scoffed, and curled against Dante's side, the powerful heart beat resonating against his ear. "For now." Had he looked up, he might have seen Dante smile.

[Author's note: The end! It's been a lovely trip. I'll be writing another fanfiction, but I haven't decided what for yet. If you have something you'd like to see me write, put it in your review. Thanks to all my readers! I hope to hear from you in my next fic!]


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